Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City moved to second place in the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
Haaland’s incredible scoring record shows no signs of slowing down as he scored two goals in the first half – Tyler Adams’ equaliser, followed by Nico O’Reilly’s third – and now has 13 points in 10 games this season, just two away from reaching 100 league goals.
The goal-scoring machine celebrated his first goal with a robotic celebration, but his total for Man City was 141 goals in 159 games, and he was denied the chance to score a hat-trick when he was substituted with 10 minutes remaining.
“There were probably some fantasy (Premier League) managers who weren’t too happy when I came on as a substitute!” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“I didn’t score a goal in the last game. I’m trying to help the team win. Whether it’s scoring a goal or winning a duel, that’s my goal. As long as I win, it doesn’t matter. I want to help the team get better. That’s my job.”
City’s fourth win in five league games left them six points behind leaders Arsenal, while Bournemouth, who had always had a good record, ended their eight-game unbeaten run and dropped to fourth.
How Haaland ruled Bournemouth
Man City were revitalized by Eli Junior Crupi, who received an early warning and scored from an offside position within the first 60 seconds.
The visiting team did not let up and deployed their usual high defensive line, which Haaland exposed throughout the first half. In the 17th minute, Rayan Cherki’s header found the back of the net, past Djordje Petrovic.
However, Bournemouth were allowed to fight back when Man City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma fumbled a punch in the corner and the ball fell for Adams to turn around.
However, that did little to sway the hosts and Haaland quickly regained the lead. Cherki again supplied a chip pass past the Bournemouth defence. Haaland had to do more this time, including rounding up Petrovic and pushing him in from an angle.
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Erling Haaland scores second goal against Bournemouth to give City the lead again in Premier League action
The striker then broke through again and should have completed his hat-trick, but Petrovic stood tall to thwart his chip attempt.
Bournemouth did their part well in an entertaining game, and Crupi’s shot into the side netting was quickly denied by Donnarumma, allowing them to start the second half in the lead.
O’Reilly came forward from left-back and fired a shot into the bottom right corner to seal the victory. Pep Guardiola’s jubilation as he celebrated City’s third goal was proof that Bournemouth were putting their team under pressure.
Pep: We were very smart.
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Despite a comfortable 3-1 win over Bournemouth, Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola remained frustrated with the way his team conceded Tyler Adams’ goal.
Man City manager Josep Guardiola told Sky Sports:
“We played really well. We had to coordinate very well in the press. We were very smart with the ball and of course Erling was decisive.”
“They destroyed us in the Premier League last season but we couldn’t deal with anything. We were always close with them. They are very intense and aggressive. They have threats in Semenho, Brooks and Tavernier. The holding midfielders are very dynamic and the defense is very aggressive.”
“Today is the second game they’ve lost, but we’ve lost more than them. They’re a very good team.”
On Bournemouth’s equalizer: “I can’t believe we conceded and when you look at the replay it wasn’t a foul. Sometimes it’s hard to understand why it’s not conceded. It was a moment, but we were consistent enough and had the momentum to score the second goal.”
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A panel discussion on Super Sunday will discuss Manchester City’s reliance on the incredible goal-scoring striker Erling Haaland.
Iraora: Haaland is great – we didn’t play badly
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports:
“Our performance was not bad. We started the game quite well. Even when they scored the first goal, we were quite in control. We have to accept that there are risks in our play.”
“This season will be a challenge with many new players, but we also have the advantage of having players who have been here for three years in pre-season. We have only played 10 games, but we still need a lot of points.”
“We have to keep doing the same thing. Next up we play away against Aston Villa so we have another big task. We have to correct what went wrong today. I’m happy with where we are now.”
On Erling Haaland: “It’s very difficult[to play against him]. He’s great. When he presses up high and allows him to press at the back, he’s very quick.”
